Shropshire

 April 2023

We spent three comfortable nights in Shropshire, staying at Bank House in Bishop's Castle, an attractive market town.

Tuesday. On our three hour trip across from Cambridge we took lunch at The Green Dragon at Little Stretton, which we can recommend, followed by a 4 mile stroll around Ragdon, avoiding some of the steeper inclines as three of us were suffering from knees and heels.

In the evening we ate at The Castle Hotel which was excellent.

Wednesday. We parked at the Bury Ditches car park and walked to Clun, with lunch at The White Horse at Clun before completing a 7.5 mile circular walk back to Bury Ditches. 

The weather was very favourable and the pub most congenial. As with several of the pubs we chose hereabouts it was old fashioned, intimate, a little dark and warm. The sort of places you could easily spend lots of time in.

The evening was at The Three Tuns in Bishop's Castle where we were very well looked after by a chirpy waitress and serenaded by a collection of musicians brandishing guitars and suffering from occasional over-amplification.

Thursday. We cut our planned walk short today but made the most of the morning on a circular walk around Cardington, with lunch at The Royal Oak, which was as above, traditional, mature wood everywhere, good lunch and excellent beer.

Exhausted by our exploits we browsed in Church Stretton and returned to Bishop's Castle just as the market was closing.

In the evening to the Powis Arms at Lydbury, where there were excellent steaks and very moderate prices and some good ale.

Friday. Mark escaped early to return home while the rest of us strolled around the fine market town of Ludlow with its remarkable half timbered shop frontages, some castle remains and the splendid church of St Laurence in the perpendicular style. Marvellous misericords and a beautiful ceiling.

A simple sandwich from Tesco and we were home by mid afternoon.

We like Shropshire with its quiet rural lanes and rolling hills.

 

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Shepreth

 Shepreth

March 2023

With two Walking Boys away (Scottish Highlands, Costa Rica) the remaining two explored the Shepreth area. 

On a rather dull and rainy day, we parked at the RSPB car park in Fowlmere (free for RSPB members) and walked alongside the River Shep, a small chalk stream whose source is the spring in the nature reserve. After crossing the A10 at the curiously named Frog End, we waked into Shepreth village, partly along the lane and partly on footpaths that conveniently cut off a couple of the corners. The second of these came out at Shepreth Mill, now a private house (photos below). 

The walk continued through the village and took another footpath, which emerged onto the A10 opposite the road into Foxton. Soon after the delightful village green at Foxton we turned right into a lane, which eventually becomes a footpath ‘climbing’ (by Cambridgeshire standards!) over a low chalk ridge to come out eventually on the road between Fowlmere and Shepreth. We turned right and then left at the cemetery to follow the single track road back to the RSPB reserve. After this approximately 6 mile walk, we felt we deserved our excellent lunch at the Chequers in Fowlmere.

Here is the farmhouse nearby, taken in infra red style.